Home Secretary John Reid appeared to agree that politicians were entitled to a private life before elected to office.

"I think this is one of those 'so what' moments," he told the BBC's Politics Show.

"Do we want to get to the level of ensuring that every politician... is a sort of plastic politician produced off some colourless and characterless conveyor belt?"

Lord Tebbit told BBC News 24: "My advice to him now would be, 'Get it out of the way, get it over with and it will be a seven-day wonder. If you don't, people will keep turning up with another expose'."